Apparatus for dusting and cleaning garments.



No; 715,792. Patented Dec. l6, I902.

- w. HARB'OUGH.

APPARATUS FOR BUS TING AND CLEANING GARMENTS.

(Application filed July 9, 1902.|

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINFIELD HARBOUGH, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR DUSTING AND CLEANING GARMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,792, dated December16, 1902.

Application filed July 9, 1902- Serial No. 114,969. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, WINEIELD HARBOUGH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Santa Barbara, in the county of Santa Barbara and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Dusting andCleaning Garments, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the present invention is to construct an efficient devicefor the removal of accumulated dust and dirt from ladies skirts andotherarticles of clothing.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Vide a device of thischaracter which may be effectually operated with but slight exertion onthe part of the operator and which when not in use may be folded out ofthe way or removed from its support and packed in small space fortransportation or storage.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof clamping means for firmly supporting and holding garments ofdifferent weight and thickness and which will automatically adjustitself to any thickness of material.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a beatingmechanism in which the boaters may be simultaneously moved in oppositedirections for contact with the opposite sides of the skirt or othergarment, and thus positively expel the dust from the fabric.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,illustratedin the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of an improved cleaningdevice constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating thesame supported in operative position on the frame of a window or of adoor. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of theclamping mechanism for holding the dress or other article in properposition. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a yoke for supporting apair of arms carrying cord-guides more particularly referred tohereinafter.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures in the drawings.

The device forming the subject of the present invention may be supportedin any suitable manner; but it is preferred to secure the same to awindow or door frame, or other suitable place and with a free exit fordust beaten from the garment, and thereby avoid injury to the operatorfrom inhaling the'dust expelled from the garment during the operation ofcleaning. To the supporting-frame is secured a socket comprising a fiatmetallic plate 1, secured to or formed integral with a section of tubing2. This socket serves for the reception of the vertical arm of a hookedmember 3, having a horizontal arm, to which is secured a bar or arm 4,on which the garment to be cleaned is hung. The outer end of the bar 4is provided with a vertically-disposed longitudinal slot 5 and athumb-screw 6 for a purpose hereinafter described.

To the rear or inner portion of the arm or bar 4: is secured a yoke 7,having verticallydisposed parallel arms serving partly as guides for therear end of a clamping-bar 8. To the rear end of the bar 8 is secured arearwardly-projecting metallic plate 10, to the under side of which issecured, by soldering or otherwise, a helical spring 11. The lower endof the spring 11 is soldered or otherwise secured to a metallic plate 12on the upper surface of the bar or arm 4, and said spring serves as ahinge between the arm and the upper clamping-bar to permit the raisingof the latter and the insertion thereunder of the garment to be cleaned.In placing the garment in position the arm 8 is raised and the garmenthung on the arm or bar 4. The clamping-bar 8 is then drawn down tightlyon the garment, the spring yielding to a greater or less extent inaccordance with the thickness and number of folds of the fabric. At theouter end of the clamping-bar is a pivot-pin 14, supporting a metallicstrip 15, said strip being inserted in the slot 5 of the supporting armor bar and there secured by turning the thumb-screw 6. This forms aready and convenient means of supporting and holding a garment of anythickness in position, the garment being clamped with a degree of forcedependent on the thickness of the fabric and the consequent differencein the tensional strain exerted by the spring. The upper ends of theyoke-arms are bent in such manner as to form sockets 16 for thereception of the lower ends of a pair of angular arms 17, the latterbeing each provided at the extreme outer end with a short section ofcurved tubing, as indicated at 18, and on the inner or rear end of thearm 4: are similar tube-sections 19, all of such tubes forming guidesfor a flexible cord 20, from the central portion of which depends acounterpoise 21, adapted to move in a vertical line below thesupporting-arm. The opposite ends of the cord depend from theguiding-tubes 18 at the outer ends of the arms 17 and serve as supportsfor the reception of beaters 22. Each beater 22 comprises an ellipticalor rounded head 23, formed of wood or metal and having an inner casingor covering 24:, of rubber or other pliable material, and to the outerfaces of each head are secured a plurality of clips 25, soldered orotherwise fastened to the ends of handled rods or bars 26. The terminalsof the cord 20 are attached to the beaters, as by eyes or rings 27, at asuitable point to balance the heaters with their operating-handles andnormally hold the latter in an approximately horizontal position. Theweight 21 counter-balances the weight of the beaters and handles andrelieves the operator of sustaining the weight of the heaters during theoperation of cleaning the garment.

In operation, the skirt or other garment having been clamped inposition, as previously described, the heaters are moved outwardly fromthe garment and then moved simultaneously toward each other for contactwith the opposite sides of the garment, thereby eifectually expellingdust and dirt from the fabric without chafing the fabric and withoutinjury to the nap, as when a broom or brush is used for a similarpurpose, the fabric being left in a soft and pliable condition after thecleaning operation. As the heaters are perfectly counterbalanced, theoperator may readily move them for contact with every part of thegarment without the fatigue incident to the use of a beating device ofwhich the weight must be supported during the beating operation. Afterthe cleansing of a garment the thumb-screw 6 is released from contactwith the strip 15 and the spring 11 raises the clamp 8 and supports thelatter in a slightly-elevated position, so that another garment may bereadily placed on the supporting arm or bar 4. When the heaters arereleased, the counterpoise elevates them to a position adjacent to theclamping-bars, and the device as a whole may then be turned inwardlytoward the wall in readiness for future use.

For purposes of transportation or storage the hook 3 and all of. theoperative parts of the device may be readily removed and will ocou py acomparatively small space.

While the construction herein described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings is the preferred form of the device, it is obviousthat various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor detailsof structure may be made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A cleaningdevice having opposite beaters mounted for simultaneous movementperpendicular to and parallel with the plane of an interposed object andmeans for supporting said beaters.

2. A cleaning device having beaters mounted for universal movement andcapable of simultaneously opposite contact with an interposed object.

3. A cleaning device comprising a supporting means for a garment, and apair of oppositely-disposed counterbalanced beaters mounted foruniversal movement and capable of simultaneously contacting withopposite sides of the garment.

4. A garment-cleaning device comprising a movable support, beaterssuspended there from, and a counterbalancing-weight for said beaters.

5. A garment-cleaningdevice comprising a pivotally-mounted support,means for clamping a garment in position thereon, anda pair ofoppositely-disposed counterbalanced beaters.

6. A garment-cleaning device comprising a socket member, an armpivotally mounted in the socket and adapted to support a garment, meansfor clamping a garment in position on said arm, a pair ofoppositely-disposed beaters, and means for counterbalancing saidheaters.

7. A garment-cleaning device comprisinga supporting-arm, a clamping-bar,a yielding hinge between the bar and arm, means for securing the arm andbar to each other, and a pair of counterbalanced beaters suspended belowsaid arm.

8. A garment-cleaning device comprising a supporting arm, a clamping-bardisposed above the arm, a spring forming a yielding hinged connectionbetween the arm and bar, means for securing the arm and bar to eachother, and a pair of counterbalanced heaters suspended below said arm.

9. A garment-cleaning device comprising a pivoted supporting-arm, aclamping-bar arranged above said arm, a spring forming a connectionbetween one end of the bar and the arm, a pivoted securing-stripdepending from the arm, a clamping-screw for holding the strip and armto each other, and a pair of counterbalanced beaters suspended belowsaid arm.

10. A cleaning device comprising a movable garment-supporting arm, meansfor securing the garment on the arm, and suspended beaters havingflexible suspending means with a counterbalance-weight attached thereto,said heaters being adapted to be brought simultaneously into contactwith opposite sides of the garment during the cleaning operation.

11. A garment-cleaning device comprising a pivotal1ymountedsupporting-arm,a yoke secured thereto, angle-arms carried by the yoke,curved tube-sections securedto the outer end of said angle-arms, curvedtube-sections arranged at the rear end of the supporting-arm, aclamping-bar guided partly between the yoke-arn1s,a yielding springforming a hinged connection between the bar and arm, means for securingthe bar and arm to each other; a flexible cord extending through theguidingtubes and having a counterbalance-weight thereon, and a pair ofbeaters to which the terminals of the cord are attached, said beatersbeing adapted to be brought into simultaneous contact with the oppositesides of a garment during the cleaning operation.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WINFIELD HARBOUGH.

Witnesses:

J. W. RIED, F. M. WHITNEY.

